Los Angeles, Houston, New York City ... Lansing.
Within the past few years, Mac's Bar has put Lansing on the map — literally.
Functioning as a breeding ground for the up-and-coming of the indie rock circuit, the little dive bar on Michigan Avenue has become well-known across the country, but not so much across the East Lansing border.
"I get bitter because Mac's is like 10 times bigger outside of Lansing than what it is inside of its own city," said Steve Lambert, booking agent for Mac's Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave., in Lansing.
And that lack of hometown support is one of the reasons Mac's Bar might undergo a major reorganization — possibly ditching Mac's trademark 18-and-older shows as well as getting rid of live music seven nights a week.
Currently, there are no shows booked at Mac's Bar — located about one mile west of MSU's Brody Complex — after Dec. 17, but that doesn't mean the venue is closing.
Matt Ellison has owned Mac's Bar for about three years and said that despite rumors, the bar's ownership is not changing. Unlike some other restaurants and venues, Mac's Bar doesn't have silent investors or partners with cash flow to help keep the business afloat. The sole investor is Ellison, but Lambert and bartender Jamie Beachum often have put personal money into buying such necessities as better sound equipment.
Ellison said bands are not booked after Dec. 17 because MSU's three-week semester break, which begins Dec. 19, prevents a lot of people from coming out. He said he plans to use the time to work out what changes need to be made to the bar before the new year.
"I don't know if we're gonna do bands every night or not, or if we're gonna keep it 18 and older or not, but it's gonna change," said Ellison, drummer for local band Calliope. "People aren't coming out, they're not spending the money — maybe they're getting burned out from too many bands. There'll still be some all-ages shows but I don't know if there'll be as many."
So long, all ages
Changing the bar's age limit to 21 and older would affect the atmosphere and the music, Lambert said.
"We would never ever get the bands that we get now if it was just 21 and older," Lambert said. "I probably wouldn't have anything to do with it anymore because I don't want to do 21 and older whatsoever."
But Ellison said he might have to experiment with a 21-and-older venue in an effort to make enough money to keep Mac's Bar open.
"I'd like to continue to make it 18 and older, but at the same time when I got 100 people in here and they're all drinking water, that doesn't really help us out," Ellison said.
The past summer was a difficult time for Mac's Bar, Ellison said. Unlike the bar's previous owner, he doesn't have excess cash to counteract low clientele.
"There's some of the most amazing bands that I've seen and there'll be 10 to 15 people. Some of these bands are at least traveling from Chicago to here and I can only pay them 50 bucks and it hardly seems worth it," Ellison said.
In an effort to bring out more people while cutting costs, Ellison said the bar might move from hosting live bands every night to hosting DJs and drink specials a couple nights per week.
All about the atmosphere
The iconic photo of Johnny Cash flipping the bird greets those who enter, and adorning the surrounding walls are beer mirrors, vulgarities, broken guitars and concert fliers. Hands firmly grip 12-oz. cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon awaiting the chance to hold a pool stick, the bartenders are pretty and the people are friendly as long as you show you're comfortable with yourself — this is Mac's Bar.
But don't judge a book by its cover.
Some people foster false impressions about the atmosphere at Mac's Bar, Lambert said.
"Piercings, tattoos and black clothing — that automatically clichés you into this biker bar attitude. It's so not. There's no clique. It's such a rotating draw of people."
That lack of a defined clientele is one of the reasons 21-year-old Nick Jones regularly makes the more than an hour-long trek from White Lake to Lansing.
"I like Mac's because there's not a scenester crowd there like in Detroit. You go to the Magic Stick and there's all those kids who are like 'too sweet.' Mac's is just kind of like a dirty bar and I like that," Jones said.
Paul Delamater, a local musician and geography graduate student, has been proclaimed the "mayor of Mac's Bar." He's considered a regular, but admits he was apprehensive before stepping into the venue. He said it wasn't until a friend told him what a comfortable place it is that he first checked it out.
Now he tells people Mac's is a dirty rock 'n' roll bar where the people are friendly and the music is good. He said although he likes The Temple Club, which is located at 500 E. Grand River Ave. and serves as Lansing's only other consistent national act venue, the location of Mac's makes it easier for him to make the bar his regular stomping ground.
"I go there because generally I know there's gonna be a band in there and I know it's probably not gonna be the kind of music I play or like the most, but that's why I go in there — to see what people are doing musically," Delamater said.
Excuses, excuses
A slow Hank Williams ballad plays in the background as Lambert takes a sip of whiskey and Coke, trying to understand exactly why it is that MSU students don't make up much of Mac's crowd.
Lambert said he has heard every excuse as to why MSU students don't attend Mac's Bar — those excuses mostly include the price of drinks and the cover charge, which usually ranges from $5 to $10 for 21 and older, and $7 to $12 for under-21 patrons.
Lambert said it's ironic, however, because those same people often pay similar prices at many East Lansing bars with little to no original entertainment.
"They're there for three things — sports, beer and boobs. It's the Big Ten college life," he said. "They don't give a fuck if Wolf Eyes is playing down the street."
Lambert said local media does its job promoting the venue and the shows and doesn't know what else could be done — short of forcing people to go to the bar — to get a larger audience at Mac's shows.
"I can't blame it on anybody for not knowing about this totally underground band that are just some touring act, but I would say if you never experienced those shows at Mac's, you missed out on a lot," Lambert said.
"I know in my heart that what is going on at Mac's and has been over the last few years is going to be forever remembered."
Justin Komori, a 2004 graduate, lived in East Lansing for about six years and never once went to Mac's Bar.
"I heard about it mainly from older students who had been here for a while and who had cars and who were mostly into music," he said.
Komori said students in halls such as Akers would have a difficult time getting to Mac's Bar because of distance, but said the main reason many students don't go is because they don't want to miss out on East Lansing's night life.
"I'm more of a dance floor kind of guy and I represent the majority of campus in terms that the majority of kids on campus want to go to a house party or a bar with a dancing option," he said.
Despite any inconvenience, Mac's faithful recognize the bar as the only independent music source in Lansing.
When alumna Lynn Patterson started at MSU, she was told Mac's Bar wasn't a fun place to hang out.
But Patterson said Mac's Bar was bringing in a lot of bands she was interested in rather than the usual slew of "crappy cover bands" at most East Lansing bars.
Patterson said she always considers Mac's Bar an essential place to visit when she comes back from her new home in Florida.
"I definitely wouldn't go there if there wasn't live music or just typical bar bands. I guess I would have to drive to Ann Arbor or Detroit for a show."
Staff writer Benita Mehta contributed to this report.
